I smirked. My girl wasn’t giving Ryder West, football pro, a second glance, a second thought, a second anything. I gave myself a moment to revel in the fact that he’d get a clue and realize what it felt like to be thrown away for a change.
“Punched the dumb out of him, I hope.” I turned around and walked back to the house, letting Hunter, Whit, and Damien reconvene to watch the street in case he came back.
Remi pulled me into the kitchen and forced my hand under the faucet of cold water to wash off my knuckles. The sting made me hiss but it was worth the discomfort to see the look on his face. My skin was fine, perfectly intact and barely bruised, but the mess was Ryder’s. Everyone followed us back slowly filling the house. Taylor held Ethan, rocking him back and forth, giving his little man butt pats to calm him down. The moment remained tense and quiet until Remi finished administering first aid.
She clucked at me. “You are so stubborn.”
I shrugged, unable to believe she might be mad at me. “Wasn’t just me. Damien got him too.” I earned my chastisement despite my half of it. I reveled in it, earning smiles from every guy in the room. They knew where I was coming from and what I was fighting for: my girl.
“And if Damien jumped off a bridge?” She used her adorable mom voice. Yeah, messaged received loud and clear.
“Remi, I’m fine. It’s okay.” Her face didn’t say she believed me but we’d get there.
“I can’t believe you did that.” She hit me with the dish towel, snapping it against my arm. I deserved that.
Damien yelled from the living room. “Save some kinky shit for me too.” Another painful yowl and I knew Kristen smacked him.
“Hey, little man, you and mommy aren’t going anywhere, okay buddy?” I picked him up from Taylor, who smiled big as she handed him to me. I cradled him against my chest and felt him settle immediately. It was the best feeling in the world next to having Remington in my arms.
“I don’t know if that was the dumbest or hottest thing you’ve ever done, Evan Rooney.” Remi put together a towel of ice for my hand, waiting to wrap it around my fist, which continued to feel numb from the adrenaline.
“That’s what you said when I braided your hair last night.”
“Evan.” Her face blushed. We’d done a lot of naughty things last night.
“In fact, you said—” I started, but the guys shook their heads and I stopped. It wasn’t about embarrassing her. She’d do more than snap the dishtowel at me and I knew it.
“Dude, you’re a hairdresser now?” Damien chuckled followed by whacking sounds of varying degrees and his winces filling the background. “Can I at least get a cold beer?” he pleaded.
Remi looked back at Damien, revoking my man card further. “I do love his skill with hair.” She glanced back at me, the mad no longer in her eyes. “I love a lot of things about you, Evan. I just don’t want you fighting with Ryder. He isn’t worth it.” She turned away back to the sink, and I handed Ethan back to Taylor for a moment.
“Damn right he’s not.” I sank to my knee in front of Remington, tugging on the back of her skirt to make her turn with all of our friends right there in the kitchen. It was now or never, and it couldn’t have been more perfect having my closet friends here with us.
“W-what are you doing?” She gasped, glancing down.
“Remington Kennedy, I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you at Easton’s Pub. That love has grown exponentially each time we’ve been challenged with life’s little hiccups.”
Her brows arched. “Hiccups?”
“Yeah, sweet girl.” I pulled her closer to me by her knees.
She hunched over and I cupped her face in my hands.
“I love you so much, Evan.”
“Remi, sweet girl, will you marry me? Be my wife, my partner and the mother of our children?”
“Oh my God!” She pushed my hands away and kneeled down next to me, tears in her eyes. Taylor handed Ethan back to us on the floor and we held him together between us, our eyes making a silent vow.
“Say yessss.” Damien hissed behind us. Kristen smacked him again, or maybe it was Hunter. At this point it was hard to tell who was assigned to keeping him in line for ruining such a momentous occasion. If anything, Damien almost added to it because of the pivotal times he was there for us both whether he wanted to be or not; it seemed to be in our nature and I was grateful to him.
“Yes, yes, yes, of course yes.”
I kissed Remi. Ethan made baby sounds between us and pulled at my shirt with his little man fists, making us smile.
Our son.
“I want to replace this ring with something extra special,” I told her and we got up off the floor. I took her into the bedroom followed by our audience of friends. I pulled out my grandmother’s ring and took off her birthday one for this one, moving it to her right hand.